LOST CAT? HERE'S WHAT YOU DO

It's every pet owner's nightmare: realizing that your cat is nowhere to be found. Whether it's an indoor cat that got loose, an older cat that became confused, or the nerve-racking chance that something worse happened, the fact is that many pet owners experience this gut sinking reality no matter how many precautions they take to prevent it.

Just walking around Harrisonburg, you can see countless fliers of missing cats and dogs, with owners asking the public for help to find their loved one. As common as an occurrence this situation can be, fortunately there are many steps you can take in the right direction to recovering our lost pet.

About.com's Franny Syufy offers some helpful advice on what to do if you find yourself in this situation. Before you do anything else, she suggests thoroughly searching your own yard, especially if the cat missing is an indoor cat because they tend to hide close to the home when loose. Along with the usual posting of fliers, alerting local veterinarians and animal control, and visiting your local animal shelter, Syufy also has some not-so-obvious suggestions that could be the key to the return of your missing feline. She suggests placing a baby monitor on your front or back porch along with a bowl of food, and keeping the second monitor near your bed in case your cat returns sometime in the night you will hear the meowing.

Harrisonburg's local cat adoption center, Cat's Cradle, also provides some helpful guidance in their most recent newsletter on what local residents of the Shenandoah Valley can do if they discover they have a missing cat. They can provide traps that can be baited which may attract a hungry lost cat. Cat's Cradle encourages pet owners to not give up, and to not only call, but physically go to the SPCA every three days for a month.

Cat's Cradle will also assist you on putting up fliers and will support you throughout the stressful process, encouraging you to notify them when your loved one is found. Who knows, you might end up as one of their success stories in their next newsletter.